Method of preparing a sugar product for refining

ABSTRACT

RAW SUGAR HAVING A POLARIZATION OF ABOVE 99* IS COATED WITH AN INVERT SYRUP, PREFERABLY HIGH-TEST MOLASSES, TO PRODUCE A RAW SUGAR FOR REFINING NOT FOR CONSUMPTION, HAVING A POLARIZATION BETWEEN 97* AND 99*. THE PRODUCT CONTAINS MORE CRYSTALLIZABLE SUCROSE THAN THE USUAL RAW SUGARS HAVING A POLARIZATION BETWEEN 97* AND 99*.

United States Patent 3,723,179 METHOD OF PREPARING A SUGAR PRODUCT FOR REFINING John Briar Alexander, Westville, Natal, Republic of South Africa, assignor to South African Sugar Association No Drawing. Filed Ian. 28, 1971, Ser. No. 110,594 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa, Jan. 29, 1970, 70/628 Int. Cl. C13f 3/00 US. Cl. 127-63 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Raw sugar having a polarization of above 99 is coated with an invert syrup, preferably high-test molasses, to produce a raw sugar for refining not for consumption, having a polarization between 97 and 99. The product contains more crystallizable sucrose than the usual raw sugars having a polarization between 97 and 99.

This invention relates to a sugar product for use in the refining process and it is to be understood that the invention does not relate to sugar products for direct consumption.

A very pure product is not always acceptable for certain purposes and certain buyers often specify a sugar having less than a certain polarization. Raw sugar may have a polariztion of above 99 and is, therefore, unacceptable in certain circumstances.

The problem can and has been overcome by mixing the sugar with sufficient final molasses to bring the polarization down to the required figure, or sufiicient impurities can be left on the crystals during their manufacture. The mixing step generally takes place prior to shipping.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sugar which has the required polarization but which contains more crystallizable sucrose as a result of both a smaller quantity and also an overall less melassigenic type of impurity than the product hitherto prepared.

This will facilitate many aspects of the refining process, for example:

( 1) affination ('2) filtration (3) purification (4) decolorization (5) crystallization ('6) recovery operation since the amount of impurities which normally affects the refining process adversely, is reduced. In addition, a further object of the invention is to provide a sugar product which is not as liable to deterioration during transit as hitherto, and also leads to improved handling characteristics under varying climatic conditions. Still further, another object of the invention is to reduce the color of the product.

A still further object of the invention is to ensure that the by-products of the eventual refining process will be more valuable than the by-products obtained from a raw sugar manufactured by either of the prior art methods referred to above.

The objects and advantages are achieved, according to the invention, by mixing a high polarizing raw sugar with sufiicient invert syrup to reduce the polarization of the product to the desired value.

In this specification the term invert syrup is intended, in its widest sense, to mean a solution containing more than 30 percent by weight of reducing sugars. Preferably Patented Mar. 27, 1973 the solution should have a polarization less than that of final molasses.

In one aspect of the invention, the invert syrup can be defined as any commercially manufactured sugar solution, pure or impure, which has its reducing sugar content increased, or its polarization decreased intentionally by enzymatic or acid hydrolysis.

The invert syrup should, of course, have a low nonsugar content.

Suitable examples of invert syrups useful in the present invention are:

(a) fully or partially inverted raw sugar solution (b) fully or partially inverted raw syrup (0) fully or partially inverted A molasses ((1) fully or partially inverted B molasses (e) fully or partially inverted final molasses or mixtures of two or more thereof.

In the preferred example of the invention, high-test molasses is used as the invert syrup.

The product of the present invention differs from direct consumption (soft) sugars in that it comprises large crystals whereas the latter product comprises essentially fine crystals with a large surface area.

The invention is illustrated by means of the following tables. Table I refers to the analysis of the basic compounds used for producing the coated sugars referred to in Tables II and III.

Tables II and III are self-explanatory and show:

(1) The amount of coating material is reduced by approximately 30%, thus ensuring that 0.36 and 0185 more V.H.P. sugar (i.e. crystal) is included in the final coated sugar for high and low pol sugars respectively.

(2) The amount of water included in the sugar is reduced by more than 20%.

(3) The sulfated ash content of high 'pol sugar is reduced by 53% and that of low pol sugar by 68%.

(4) The reducing sugar content of coated sugars is increased considerably by some 200 to 300%.

(5) The content of starch in the sugars is reduced by 24% and 40% for high and low pol sugars respectively.

(6) The color contained in the total sugar shows a marked reduction to 42% and 29% of the value of molasses coated sugar for high and low pol sugars respectively.

(7) Rendement, the figure accepted by many refiners as giving an indication of the recoverable refined sugar, shows significant improvements of 0.4% to 1.0% for low and high pol sugar respectively.

Other characteristics of high test coated sugar as opposed to those coated with final molasses which are not illustrated in Tables II and III: are

(a) The humectant effect of the increased reducing sugar content reduces the stickiness problem and tendency to cake.

(b) Easier affination due to the reduced viscosity and the reduced quantity of the film coating.

(c) The production of a reduced amount of refinery molasses with a high reducing sugar ash ratio and low color.

TABLE II [Comparison of high pol sugars (98.7) produced by coating with final molasses and high test molasses] 1.24% final molasses for coating 0.88% high test molasses for coating H.T. VHP sugar Molasses Total VHP sugar molasses Total contribution contribution sugar (A) contribution contribution sugar (B) BIA, percent Polarization, S 98. 27 0. 98. 70 98. 62 0. 98. 69 100 Moisture, percent. 0. 10 0.23 0.33 0.10 0.16 0.26 78 Sulfated ash percent. 0. 12 0.19 0.31 0.12 0.02 0. 14 47 Reducing sugars perccnt 0. 09 0. 18 0.27 0.09 0. 48 0. 57 210 Starch, rug/kg 99 19 117 99 13 112 96 Gums, lug/kg- 1 790 350 1, 40 790 70 860 76 Color: (ac 560 nm). 0.. 0.20 0.37 0.57 0.20 0. 04 0. 24 42 Rendement: (Pl4.5 ash-R.S.) 97. O6 97. 47 100. 4

TABLE III [Comparison of low pol sugars (97.7 produced by coating with final molasses and high test molasses] 2.79% final molasses for coating 1.96% high test molasses [or coating H.'I. mo VHP sugar Molasses Total VHP sugar lasses con- Total D/C, contribution contribution sugar (0) contribution tribution sugar (D) percent Polarization, S 96. 72 98 97. 70 97. 55 0. 16 97. 71 100 Moisture, percent. 52 62 10 35 45 74 Suliated ash, percent-.. .12 42 54 12 .05 .17 32 Reducing sugars, percent- 09 .40 49 09 1.08 1.17 290 Starch, mg./kg 97 42 139 98 29 127 91 Gums, mgJkg. 770 780 1, 560 780 160 940 60 Color: (a*c 560 nm) 19 84: 1.03 10 29 Rendemcnt: (Po14.5 ash- 94. 80 95. 76 101.0

I claim: References Cited 11. method of defireasmg thelpolar lzatiol of a UNITED STATES PATENTS PO arizrng raw sugar avlng a po arlza 1011 O a OVB for refining comprising the step of mixing said raw sugar 30 gf g with sufficient invert syrup to reduce the polarization 2435248 2/1948 Z a S 5? X of the product to a required value between 97 and 99. 2668128 2/1954 30 2. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the in- 2910387 V1959 gggg g X vert s ru is a full or artiall inverted raw su ar solutioyn P y P y g 2,910,388 10/1959 Lachmann 127 29 X 3. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which the 3518095 6/1970 Hardmg 127-30 X OTHER REFERENCES Cane Sugar Handbook, G. L. Spencer, ed., eighth edition, 287-92, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1945.

MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner MARANTZ, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

